Therfield Heath Long Barrow

Long Barrow

Therfield Heath Long Barrow (Long Barrow) on The Modern Antiquarian, the UK & Ireland's most popular megalithic community website. 8 images, 2 fieldnotes, plus information on many more ancient sites nearby and across the UK & Ireland.

Images (click to view fullsize)

Fieldnotes

Once you arrive at the main group of round barrows the long barrow is easy to spot on the fairway of the adjacent golf course – 18th hole? It is larger than I expected, approximately 2m high x 30m long and looked to be in good condition. I know golf courses are not everyone’s cup of tea but at least they should offer some sort of protection to sites – excluding divots of course! I find it quite amazing that this long barrow was perhaps 2,000 years old when the ancestors decided to build their round barrows.
Makes you think – well, makes me think anyway!

Visited 26th April 2003: I was a bit concerned that we wouldn't find the long barrow because I knew it was of the low earthen type, but even without a Landranger it was easy enough to find. It's up on the hill to the east of the car park. Although you can't see the long barrow itself from the car park, you can make out the nearby round barrows.

Watch out for the golf players though. Whereas most of the round barrows are on the side of the fairway, the long barrow is part of the golf course (apologies to any golf players if my terminology is muddled). We watched a bloke taking a shot from the top of the barrow. It was rather amusing to me, but I suppose it's pretty routine for the local players. In this case I think he thought we were admiring his game.

Miscellaneous

'April 26th 1855, Opened the Long Hill on Royston Heath. Made a cut about 7 feet wide to the base of the hill throughout its length. Found in the east end at about 1 foot from the top a small heap of calcined human bones, and a small piece or two of iron very much corroded, a few pieces of flints. At the depth of 4 feet a human skeleton lying with its legs crossed, the internment was Head NE by SW, at the base of the hill a bank of flint lying NW-SE the portion above described relates to portion no.1 on ground plan. In portion no. 2 a cyst was found cut in the chalk at the base of the hill about 2 feet depth being 18 to 20 inches, containing ashes, at 6 yards farther west another cyst was found of the same description and dimensions. At about 2ft farther west a skeleton was found, the bones being placed in a kind of heap or circle. This was also on the base of the hill. Nothing more was found.'